Fact of the day

Information is the most powerful weapon.

Monday

Fact N°
1944

A seminal moment in the history of the internet took place at the zoo.

In April of 2005, the first video was uploaded to YouTube -- a 19-second clip entitled "Me at the Zoo." The clip features YouTube cofounder (and onetime PayPal employee) Jawed Karim at the San Diego Zoo discussing how cool it is that the elephants behind him have "really, really, really long trunks."

Tuesday

Fact N°
1946

The "Miracle on Grass" refers to USA Soccer's greatest upset.

In the first round at the 1950 World Cup in Brazil, Team USA beat England 1-0 on the strength of a goal in the 37th minute by Joe Gaetjens. While the U.S. squeaked into the World Cup that year, England had been picked by many to win it all, making the game a tremendous upset. Both teams would ultimately exit in the first round, and Team USA would not appear in another World Cup until Italia 1990, where they lost three games straight to Czechoslovakia, Italy and Austria.

Wednesday

Fact N°
1947

A common internet symbol traces its heritage back to medieval times.

The symbol, a fist with the index finger extended, is known as a manicule, and for hundreds of years between the 12th and 18th centuries, it was common to draw this symbol in the margins of a book or manuscript to call attention to specific points or parts of the text. Today, the manicule sometimes appears when one's computer cursor hovers over a hyperlink.

Thursday

Fact N°
1948

Only one film was made according to the technology of Smell-o-Vision.

In 1960, an enterprising inventor named Mike Todd, Jr. developed a system called Smell-o-Vision to run along with a film reel. The reel would emit certain scents or odors at appropriate times during a movie and give moviegoers an olfactory experience along with a visual one. The 1960 movie Scent of Mystery (costarring Peter Lorre) was written for the invention and included smells of wine and peaches. Unfortunately, audiences weren't much into the New York City premiere, and the innovation flopped.

Friday

Fact N°
1949

The youngest player ever to appear in a World Cup match was barely 17 years old.

At the World Cup 1982 in Spain, Norman Whiteside was just 17 years and 41 days old when he started in five matches for Northern Ireland, breaking the record previously set in 1958 by Brazilian legend Pele by some 200 days. However, Pele still holds the records, set in 1958, for being the youngest to appear in a World Cup final and the youngest to record a hat trick (against France in a semifinal match).

Saturday

Fact N°
1950

Contrary to popular belief, people with schizophrenia do not have multiple personalities.

Schizophrenia has long been confused with dissociative identity disorder (previously known as multiple personality disorder), in which a single sufferer is alleged to have numerous disparate personalities. Schizophrenia, which affects about 1% of the population, is marked by a single personality that has been "shattered."

Sunday

Fact N°
1951

As of 2009, there were two mobile phone subscriptions for every three people on Earth.

This figure is given by the International Telecommunication Union, but it is not meant to indicate that that many people actually have mobile phone subscriptions; rather, many people have more than one. Along similar lines, as the number of landlines continues to fall, the number of people using the internet worldwide continues to climb. It rose from 10% in 2002 to 25% in 2009.